A problem with measuring objects or structures, such as buildings or vehicles, is that the accuracy of the measuring requires skill and often involves tedious handling of the measuring device.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,852,241 describes a measurement system for measuring vehicles, especially the wheel angles and directions of axles on a large vehicle, like a truck. The system comprises measuring units that are arranged on a vehicle and angles and dimensions of different parts of the vehicle are measured. The results of the measurements are fed to a computer that computes the geometric data of the vehicle, and display these data on a monitor. The system uses lasers that need free line of sight and use equipment requiring precise operations performed manually by an operator.